Mandie and the Forgotten Falls
by Cranberry Knight-XIII
Summary: They are finally going to retrieve the gold for the Cherokees, but soon it becomes apparent that Mandie is suffering from severe exhaustion. Night terrors dominate her dreams, and haunt her days, and her family soon realizes something is very, very wrong. Slight A/U. Discontinued!
1. Night Terrors

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: **Hey guys, **WriteFF13 **here! I know this is totally unexpected, but I'm writing this story for another author on Fanfiction: **ILoveMandieBooks** also writes some verrryy fine Mandie fanfics, and I have requested her help to improved my Mandie fic. Just like with my _Spyro: Enter the Dragonfly _fanfic, Wings of Fire, I won't work too often on this, so rest be assured, I'll work more on Days of Darkness and Impure Eyes.

**Summary of chapter: **It's finally time to retrieve the gold left by Ts'ali, but Mandie seems to be exhausted. Something else is going on, but Mandie has no one to talk to about her frightening night terrors...

-A long time ago, I read the Mandie books by Llois Gladys Leppard, and I quite enjoyed them. While I'm not as involved with God as Mandie is, I wanted to respect the originals and put in a few random prayers, just like the books. I am not trying to persuade anyone at all to believe in God, nor am I trying to say _not _believing in God is wrong. I put some of those prayers in there out of respect to Leppard. Period.

Please feel free to comment, subscribe, favorite me or the story, and PLEASE review! I haven't had a good lengthy review since four months ago! If you find any errors, story-wise or grammatical, do tell me! Keep in mind that I do not have PM enabled, but you can easily contact me via review or go to my Profile on FictionPress .com (the link is in my profile, name is Cranberry Knight), and you can PM me that way.

This is my first Mandie fanfic, but I hope I did well with the first chapter! Enjoy!

Write on,

**WriteFF13**

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><p><span>Mandie and the Forgotten Falls <span>

Night Terrors

Mandie yawned widely and rubbed her bright blue eyes of sleep. Pulling her blue frock over her head, she called out to her friend Sallie Sweetwater, who was already dressed and pulling her moccasins on.

"Good morning, Sallie," Mandie said.

Her Indian friend looked up and smiled at Mandie. "About time you got up! Everyone else is almost ready to go. You had better get dressed quickly," Sallie said, then pushed through the flap that separated the boys' side and exited the log cabin.

_Finally! We can get the gold and give my kin people a hospital, _Mandie thought. _Oh, or a school! I hope I can keep up today…_

Mandie hurriedly dressed and tied her long golden hair into a braid. The strong smell of bacon wafted into the room over the top of the deerskin door. She peeked her head around the flap.

"Joe?" she called, "Dimar?" Sallie, Dimar, and Joe were all outside. She hopped down onto the forest ground and looked around.

Morning Star spotted Mandie by her seat next to an open fire. She was just taking off a few bacon strips. "Hurry!"

"I'm sorry, Morning Star–I got up late!" Mandie apologized.

The Indian woman smiled and waved it off. "Eat," she commanded. Mandie took the bacon and oats she received. She hurriedly ate them, then joined everyone around the few wagons that were stationed there.

Deep Creek was very busy as everyone rushed to pack their things into the wagons. Elizabeth, Mandie's mother, ran past the cabin without even seeing Mandie. Through all the commotion Mandie spotted her favorite Indian.

"Uncle Ned!"

The old Indian turned towards her with a bundle of food in his arms. "Papoose sure she want gold? Gold bad for Cherokees," he said. His forehead creased.

Mandie sighed. Why didn't Uncle Ned understand they wanted to use the gold for _good_? "Oh, Uncle Ned! It won't be like before. We want to help the Cherokees. I know the white people did bad things in the past, but it's different now," Mandie explained, trying to reason with the Indian. "Don't you want to help the Cherokees?"

"Hmph," the old Indian grumbled. "Gold–bad, but gold also good. I say gold bad."

Just as Mandie opened her mouth to argue, a certain brown-haired boy drew her attention away from the unreasonable Indian.

"Mandie!" Joe Woodard called. He walked up to her. "You slept in this morning. When was the last time you did _that_?"

Mandie bit her lip. Did she want to tell him about the frightening nightmare she had last night? Just as it started to resurface and cloud Mandie's head with dark images, Joe's voice pulled her out of the darkness.

"Mandie?"

She shook her blond hair and forced herself to look at Joe. "I didn't sleep so well last night," she admitted.

"What, got some night terrors?" Joe teased.

Mandie frowned. "Maybe."

Joe was oblivious to the fact that Mandie was serious. "Only little kids still get nightmares, Mandie!" Joe laughed.

"What do you know?" Mandie snapped and stomped off to talk to Uncle John, who was climbing onto the top seat of the wagon.

Joe stopped in his tracks. What was wrong with Mandie? Had she really had a nightmare? He was just teasing her, but maybe they had really bothered her.

"Wait," Joe called. "Mandie!"

Mandie ignored him and climbed into the wagon. Ucle John, Uncle Ned, Elizabeth, Dr. Woodard, Dimar, Sallie, and Joe all climbed in after her. Uncle Wirt and Morning Star were taking a separate wagon to hold the gold in, if they found it. Being one of the youngest, Mandie was situated at the back of the wagon with Dimar, Joe, and Sallie. Dimar was in the middle of Joe and Mandie, much to Joe's annoyance. He wanted to talk to Mandie about her night mares, if she really had any.

_Maybe she just got up on the wrong side of the bed today, _Joe thought.

Dr. Woodard's son snapped out of his reverie when he heard the voice of Dimar. The Indian boy was speaking to Mandie, and she was giggling!

"Your dress matches your eyes," Dimar was saying. Joe glanced over and saw Mandie blush. Joe gritted his teeth. "You know, I have never seen eyes as bright as yours. Us Cherokees have brown eyes, not the sky-color of yours," Dimar said, and smiled when Mandie's face became redder.

"Oh, don't be a flatterer!" Mandie said, beginning to laugh.

Joe noticed Mandie was looking at Dimar a little more frequently now. Every time the Indian boy spoke, she would listen attentively. But, her eyes still flitted around the environment.

Joe was really furious now. Mandie was supposed to like him, not Dimar! She was going to be his wife, wasn't she? "Hey, Mandie," Joe said, leaning around Dimar. "What do you want to use the gold for?"

When Mandie looked over at him, there was still a hint of annoyance in her eyes. It looked like she was forcing herself to talk to him.

"Guess you'll have to see."

"Come on, why can't you tell me?"

Suddenly, her face reflected what Joe had seen earlier that morning.

"Because I don't _want _to, that's why!" she snapped, and turned away.

Joe sat back and shrugged his shoulders, still confused at her behavior. Mandie almost always told him what was wrong.

_Well, _he thought, i_f she wants to talk about it, she can. She's obviously touchy about it right now. _

Throughout the entire ride to the mountain, Mandie refused to speak to him. Joe tried to break up her and Dimar's conversation, but eventually he had to give up. He talked to Sallie the rest of the time, who wouldn't at least bite his head off when he talked to her.

Meanwhile, at the front of the wagon, Elizabeth was voicing her concern about her daughter to Uncle Ned, Uncle John, and Dr. Woodard. Elizabeth looked back to make sure the children couldn't hear her. Mandie was busy laughing with Dimar. The wagon wheels rattled as they moved over the rough terrain.

"I'm very worried about her, John," Elizabeth said after she turned around. "She looks tired all the time. She perks up a bit around the middle of the day, but then she's exhausted again at sundown! I don't understand it!"

Dr. Woodard balled fist under his chin. "Hmm. When did you first notice her exhaustion, Mrs. Shaw?"

"About four days ago, the day after we found them, I believe."

"Papoose stay up with granddaughter all night?" Uncle Ned suggested.

Elizabeth considered it, but she knew her daughter would obey and sleep. "No," she said. "Even if she did, I don't think she'd get this tired. What do you think, Dr. Woodard?"

Dr. Woodard was quietly observing Mandie. He noticed two grey rings under her eyes. While Dimar was chatting, she yawned once and kept glancing around. Before she noticed the doctor looking at her, though, he turned around.

"Well, she definitely looks exhausted. Has she been eating well?" Dr. Woodard asked. Elizabeth nodded. "I don't rightly know what's wrong with Mandie. I think you should make sure she gets to bed tonight thirty minutes earlier, and then see how she is tomorrow. Make sure she eats all of her vegetables, and give her a lot of nutrition. We'll see if we can't get her back up to health with some healthy food."

Elizabeth was still unconvinced. She had only just been reunited with her daughter, but she somehow knew there was more to Mandie's exhaustion than was surfacing. Mandie was beginning to wake up a bit now, but her mother knew she would soon become tired again later.

Uncle John patted Elizabeth's hand and said reassuringly, "I'm sure Mandie will snap out of it. She's quite excited about the gold."

"Mmm. Maybe."

"We pray for Papoose," Uncle Ned said, trying to comfort Mandie's mother. He turned his eyes skyward. "God watch Papoose. Jim Shaw watch Papoose in happy hunting ground, too. Pray!"

They bowed their heads–or, in Uncle Ned's case, lifted–and murmured their prayers for Mandie.

"Please, dear God," Elizabeth murmured. She squeezed her eyes shut. "Give Mandie health and strength to help her recover."

Little did she know, Elizabeth was right–there _was _more to the story than she knew. Mandie wasn't just tired, either. None of them knew that Mandie's supposed sickness would cause a lot of distress in the days to come. Could Mandie disguise her exhaustion that long?


	2. The Calm Before the Storm

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: **I'm sorry, guys! I know that this update is already a year late, but I'm hoping you haven't become too disgusted with my lack of _not _updating that you can read and enjoy this new chaper, and drop in a review! It's been awhile since the first chapter, and also the last time I read the books, keep in mind.

-**WriteFF13**

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><p><strong>.:<span>MANDIE AND THE FORGOTTEN FALLS<span>:.**

_Chapter 2 – The Calm Before the Storm_

Mandie yawned and rubber her eyes, hoping in vain that the dark shadows underneath her eyes would disappear.

They didn't.

The cart wheeled unsteadily along the bumpy road, jolting its passengers side to side. The horses pulling the cart neighed nervously and jumped at every little sound. The grown-ups glanced at the sky, approaching thunder clouds reflecting in their eyes. Uncle Ned gazed at the sky, looking worried, but saying nothing.

"Uncle Ned?" Elizabeth said, noticing. "What's wrong?"

The old Indian turned to her and pointed to the sky.

"Big storm coming. We hurry."

"Mm."

She glanced at her daughter out of the side of her eye.

Mandie was seemingly chatting away with Dimar, but when looking closely, Elizabeth could tell that she was struggling to stay awake, only giving Dimar half-hearted nods and smiles, who hadn't seemed to notice.

Joe's father nudged her arm.

"How is she doing, Elizabeth?" he asked, gesturing quietly to Mandie.

Elizabeth sighed. "She looks terrible, Doctor. I'm not sure if she should go with us to get the gold."

"I'm not sure either. We'll see when we arrive at the mountain. I'll keep a close watch on her," he said, reassuring her.

Elizabeth smiled. "Thank you."

_Mandie…_

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><p><strong>AUTHOR'S NOTE: <strong>I'm really sorry this is so short, but I'm trying to get two other story chapters out as well, and since this story is lower on my priority list, the chapters are probably going to be shorter. Thank you for reading however, and please be patient until the next chapter comes out.

-**WriteFF13**


	3. Calling

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: **I realize it's been awhile since I really updated something on _Mandie and the Forgotten Falls_, but I hope you can still review! Thanks for the continued interest in the story!

-**WriteFF13**

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><p><strong>.:<span>MANDIE AND THE FORGOTTEN FALLS<span>:.**

_Chapter 3 – Calling_

_Mandie…Mandie…_

_ "What's that voice? Hello?" _

_Come here, Mandie…_

_ "No…who are you?" _

_We will not hurt you, child. Come to us. Follow our voices._

_ "No, I can't!" _

_You must. For the good of your people. Come now, child!_

"Mandie!"

"_Wait! My people…my kinpeople? The Cherokees? Please, wait!"_

_Now, child!_

"Hey, wake up! What's wrong?"

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><p>Mandie shot upwards, gasping for breath. Her eyes were clouded, and her vision foggy. She closed them and clenched her trembling hands together. Body trembling violently, she opened her eyes, and although they stung for a few seconds, they soon cleared, and Mandie found herself in the face of Joe, Sallie, Dimar, her mother, and the rest of the carriage passengers looking at her worriedly.<p>

Mandie ignored them and looked down at her hands.

_What…was that? That voice…it's stronger now. I can feel it. _

She bunched her fists against her legs, her calico dress wrinkling. She could hear her mother and Joe's voices, but she ignored them, focusing on clearing her mind of what she had just experienced.

A hand gently grabbed her shoulder and shook it.

Mandie cried out and went to swipe it away when she looked up to find Joe staring at her, worry and confusion mixed in his brown eyes. He grabbed her hand in his and scooted Dimar away. He leaned close, trying to read her expression.

"Mandie," he whispered, "what is it?"

She shook her head.

Joe wondered if she was in shock (of what, he didn't know).

"Are you all right? Sick? Do we need to stop and rest? You look exhausted, Mandie." He lowered his voice so that it could only reach her ears. "Is it the nightmares?"

Mandie knew she had to be strong, to keep everyone from worrying about her, when they should be focused on helping the Cherokees. Still…she had to tell someone.

"Yes," she finally said, her voice barely a whisper on the wind.

Joe sat back, startled. How did nightmares scare her that much? Mandie was tougher than that.

Mandie's head fell to the side and rested on Joe's shoulder, and although her eyes were closed, she wouldn't sleep. She couldn't.

And if she did, she would have to relive that nightmare all over again.

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><p><strong>AUTHOR'S NOTE: <strong>While it ma yseem like a short chapter, it really isn't because…I'm not done with it yet! I will update this chapter again (but a story alert won't be sent out), so check back again! What do you think of the strange "voices" that Mandie is experiencing? Tell me in a review!

Thanks for the continual support and interest of this story!

-**WriteFF13**


	4. Blooming Plans

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: **Yes, I know it's been about a year since I've updated but hopefully some of my old readers are still remotely interested. If you are and even leave a review, thanks. A BUNCH. You are dedicated! Thank you all so much for the reviews you've left; I never would have expected this story to be so well-received when I originally only intended it to be a one-shot. And I wish Mandie was a bit older so I could write things the way I usually do. It's hard to delve into the "supernatural" genre with just a young girl.

Words in **[bold] **are "BGMs" (background music) recommendations you can look up on YouTube to get the most out of the chapter. It's also what I listen to when I write. "OST" stands for "Original SoundTrack."

Write on,

**WriteFF13**

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><p><strong>.:<strong>**MANDIE AND THE FORGOTTEN FALLS****:. **

_Chapter 4 – Blooming Plans_

**["The Path to Avalon" – **_**Tomb Raider: Underworld**_** OST]**

The carriage rattled to a stop near a narrow stream just a few feet away from the unstable road, hidden by a thicket; Ned spotted it. Everyone climbed out and stretched their legs, and Mandie herself flitted out of view as soon as possible, nearly stumbling to her knees as she approached the steady waterfall, washing her face in the trickle of icy cold water. Her hands were shaky along with her legs.

_This is not good… _

She sat back on her heels and surveyed her surroundings. Around the bank of the creek, rocks covered in spongy moss were placed around tall, green grass that reached to her knees. Snowball leapt from his perch on her shoulder and rolled in the grass, mewing quietly. Tall pine trees dotted the ground every ten feet or so, its massive branches reaching up into the sky.

Mandie sighed. "Do you know what's wrong, Snowball?"

_"Meow." _

A small smile tugged the edges of her lips up, but it didn't reach her exhausted eyes. She was frightened…of what, she didn't know, and that was what worried her the most. She didn't know what to do or who to talk to. Even wise Uncle Ned couldn't help her…she was on her own.

_Joe wouldn't understand, and Mother would worry too much if I told her…_

She closed her eyes, frustrated.

_What would I say anyway? I'm hearing strange voices in my head; telling me to follow them? I haven't slept in four days?_

Snowball suddenly bolted into her lap, his fur raising an inch on his back. Immediately Mandie whirled around, her braids whipping her cheeks. There stood Joe, the last person Mandie had wanted to see in her current state of distress. He had his arms crossed and eyes narrowed, looking down at her with an expectant look.

"Well?"

She said nothing.

Joe shook his head and kneeled down on one knee, looking her straight in the eye.

"Mandie, tell me what's wrong. I know there's something else going on that you're not saying, but I'm here to help. You trust me, don't you?" he asked.

She was slightly overwhelmed by the close proximity of him, but pushed that thought away. It was now or never. Do or die. She either accepted his help and ended this period of exhaustion, or reject it and remain in the dark.

She sucked in a breath, not sure where to start…opening her mouth, and then closing it. Eventually she looked away and shook her head, her eyes beginning to glisten with tears.

The hardness in Joe's brown eyes immediately softened. He took her hand – which had been stroking Snowball's fur – and squeezed it encouragingly.

"It's okay, Mandie. You can tell me whatever you want, and I'll be on your side."

"I know. I just don't know if that'll still be true when I tell you…" she murmured.

Joe cocked an eyebrow, surprised. She looked tired, sure, but why was she being so serious? Was she sick?

"I…haven't been sleeping very well," she began, tossing him a quick glance before going on. "You've probably noticed how awfully tired I look and well, it's true…I haven't slept at all in four days."

Joe blinked in surprise, now only fully noticing the black bags beneath her eyes and the pale tone of her skin. Even her bright blue eyes that he _and _Dimar admired seemed to be a bit dimmer than usual. Mandie stared back at him, waiting for something…_anything._

"This morning you said you'd been having nightmares…" he said slowly.

"Yes."

"You fell asleep twice on the way here…"

"Yes."

"You were angry at me this morning for making a joke out of your nightmares…"

"Y – I'm sorry, Joe. About this morning. I was just scared and didn't know what do, and I took it out on you. I shouldn't have, I know."

He reached out and brushed a tear from her cheek. Even her face was slightly cold to the touch, but he didn't say anything. Instead, he leaned forward and wrapped her in a warm hug. The sudden show of affection from her friend caused Mandie to sob and she return the gesture, ignoring Snowball's irritated whine, who was squished between the two. For several minutes they simply sat with Joe patting her back while she soaked his shoulder with her tears.

Suddenly, a feminine voice reached their ears from the other side of the bushes:

"Come on, Mandie, Joe! It's time to go!" Mandie's mother called.

Mandie and Joe could both hear the sounds of hurried movement as carriages were loaded once again. Mandie jumped to her feet, knocking Snowball to the ground. She looked at Joe, wide-eyed.

"I can't go back like this, Joe!"

"What do you mean? You can't just stay here!" he argued, gently taking her hand and beginning to tug her hand towards the carriages.

She yanked her hand away from his gently and scooped up Snowball. "No…I need to find out what's happening to me. I can't let Mother worry about me anymore," she said, unsure of her decision. "Go without me. I'll be fine."

"So what will you do, run around aimlessly in the night? Come on, Mandie! You know I'm not leaving you."

"_Mandie! Joe!_ Are you riding with us or the third carriage coming down the road?" her mother called again.

An idea sparked in her mind. Joe read it easily.

Just as she was about to shout out, he shook his head furiously, but she ignored him.

She cleared her throat as well as she could and called, "Yes, Mother! Joe and I will wait for the third carriage! Snowball isn't done getting a drink yet!"

"Are you sure? Is Joe with you, then?" her mother answered back.

"Yes! We won't stray from the road, I promise! Won't Morning Star be in that carriage anyways?" Mandie yelled back, hearing the horses neigh and their hooves begin to dig into the dirt, struggling to pull the weight of the carriage in the semi-steep road.

"Yes, darling, she is! Joe, don't let her wander off!"

Hurriedly, she whispered to him, "Please, Joe. Don't give us away!"

He looked at her for a second and sighed in defeat. "Yes, ma'am! See ya'll at the caves!"

Moments later and they were alone, with no one else in sight. Only the faint click-clack of the carriage could be heard anymore, and seconds later even that was gone.

Mandie collapsed in relief.

"Thank you, Joe."

The boy rubbed his brow, wondering if he had made the right decision.

What was her plan, anyway?

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><p><strong>AUTHOR'S NOTE: <strong>Yes, yes, I know I said I wouldn't make it a MandiexJoe pairing, but it's really hard not to without dropping a few hints. There's not going to be any romance, though, I promise you that. Not only do I suck at it, but it wouldn't fit in well with the story. Don't forget to **review** and tell me what you think! If you are a Guest, then I'll reply to your review in A/Ns from here on out! Otherwise, I'll respond to your review via PM.

**Guest**: Thanks for reviewing, first of all! I'm glad you liked it so much! Hopefully you like this chapter just as much ! ^-^

-**WriteFF13**


	5. Into the Forest

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: **Thanks for the three new reviews, guys! Though I do have a favor to ask if reviewers are not members on . Since there seems to be more than one "Guest" reviewer, I would appreciate it if you could put anything, nickname, video game character, number, whatever as your name so I can address your review in the chapters without any confusion. That way you know I'm responding to you since you don't have an account. If you could do that, that would make things so much easier! Thanks!

Hope you enjoy this chapter! They're all going to be around the length of 2,000 words or so.

_Mandie and the Forgotten Falls_ official theme: "Lianna's Theme" – _THE HOBBIT _(game) soundtrack. Listen to it here: watch?v=gz1OPV2eCIw&list=UL

Write on,

**WriteFF13**

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><p><strong>.:<strong>**MANDIE AND THE FORGOTTEN FALLS****:. **

_Chapter 4 – Into the Forest _

**["Lianna's Theme" – **_**The Hobbit **_**game OST]**

"So, what now?" Joe asked, crossing his arms. "Since you had such a brilliant idea to disobey your mother and and wander around a forest."

Mandie stood and faced Joe squarely, her eyes bright and determined for the first time in days. The thrill of a looming adventure filled her, yet she also felt uneasy about the strange dreams she was hearing and the voices that filled her head. She needed answers, whether Joe liked it or not.

"I offered you a chance to leave. I can do this by myself," she stated, simply and cleanly.

Joe blew out a puff of air, exasperated. "What is it that you want to find, Mandie? Why are we out here alone in the wilderness?"

She dodged the question. "Are you scared? Come on, Joe. You have your pocketknife and I've got Snowball. We're fine," she admonished, petting her cat on the head.

"It'll be dark in four hours, Mandie. We can't stay out here! A pocketknife won't do much against a bear or lion, and your cat would be the last one to flee! Think this through, Mandie!"

"I have, Joe! But I've got to know what's happening to me! I don't want Mother getting into this if it's dangerous."

Joe rubbed his eyes with the heel of his palm, groaning. He didn't get annoyed with Mandie very often, but she was testing his patience. How could she not understand how dangerous the forest would be at night? Where was she planning to run off to, anyways?

"Fine, you win. But if we come back and the whole village is looking for us and our parents are nearly dead with fright, you're going to hear it from me _and _them, alright? I want to help you, Mandie, so I'll go with you," he said, giving in.

Her warm smile was the only thing to comfort him at the moment. "Thank you, Joe. We'll be fine, really."

"Hmph. Famous last words," he muttered, but a quick whack on the shoulder brought an end to that.

"Joe Woodard, stop that!"

"Okay, okay. So where were you planning to run off to in the first place? Do you even know where you're going?" he asked.

He was expecting some sort of answer that would comfort him in knowing that at least she had a destination in mind. Her next words completely dashed that hope.

"Not really."

"Oh, great."

"Joe…"

"I guess we'll just head off, then before the next carriage comes along. They won't know that we're here, so we should be alright. Until then, let's make this trip as fast as possible."

"Yes, that's a plan…but, I might have an inkling as to where we're going…I _think_," she murmured, fingering her lip and eyes closed in concentration.

"You _think_?"

"Hush. Let me concentrate."

He silenced and she focused on the dreams she had experienced in the days they had arrived at the Cherokee's camp. They had all been filled with strange, wispy voices that sounded like the wind, calling out to her…but what had they said? Something about going with them immediately…or something to that effect. Four nights ago was when she first heard the strange voices in her head, but they had become stronger during the carriage when she napped. The answer was on the tip of her tongue, lingering on the brink of her mind, but she couldn't find it just yet. It was beyond her reach until she made the move to find it for herself.

_The voices were clearer the closer we get to the mountain…that must mean they must be around her somewhere in the forest, or the mountain itself! _

As silly as it sounded, the voices could very well be the gold itself…perhaps her Cherokee ancestors speaking to her? No, no, they couldn't speak English…that was absurd. What was the next best bet?

_Deep in the forest…hidden in a cerulean fall of crystal lies the secret of your history, child. Go there now. You are so, so very close. _

Mandie jumped as the voices suddenly spoke in her mind, louder and clearer than they had been before. It was almost as if the origin of the voices was standing right next to her, yet its voice was muffled, like a person trying to speak…

And then she had it.

_Underwater! _

She clapped her hands in excitement. "I know where to go!"

Joe had been resting on a mossy rock and playing with Snowball, his boots flecked with mud as the cat ran around his feet.

"About time! Come on, I can hear the other cart come up the road. We need to get out of here," he said quickly as they made their way across the stream and into thicker covering.

Mandie took a second to catch her breath. "It's…underwater…i-in a pond! Or a lake, I don't know. But it's in the water, somewhere!"

"How do you know that?"

"I just do."

The boy began weaving his way through the forest, climbing over boulders and dodging overhanging tree branches. "Well, I guess we'll just have to find this pond before nightfall. Shouldn't be too hard, right?"

Mandie smiled in relief, glad that Joe was on board with her idea.

She hastily caught up and stayed right behind him, both anxious and scared to find what was in this pond.

An hour later and they had found nothing, and night was eagerly awaiting its descent. The sky visible between the thick overhead canopy was full of pale pinks and oranges shot through with blue.

An hour more and they would be alone in the dark.

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><p><strong>AUTHOR'S NOTE: <strong>I know it's rather short, but I hope you enjoyed nonetheless. Don't forget to **review! **

-**WriteFF13**


	6. Alone In the Dark

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: **On to chapter five of _Mandie and the Forgotten Falls, _"Alone In the Dark." Thanks for all of the reviews! I'm glad you all enjoyed the story so far!

**Naomi baloney: **Thanks! As for a possible MandiexJoe thing, maybe a little, but not a whole lot. I'm not good at romance fluff anyways, so it's best if it's just hinted at. And yes, your name is quite creative. Biggest fan? From one story? I'm flattered!

**Jeaninelovesu: **Thanks for the interest!

**Amy loves you: **I enjoy the Mandie series as well! I'll be updating whenever I can, so please sit tight until then!

Write on,

**WriteFF13**

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><p><strong>.:<strong>**MANDIE and the FORGOTTEN FALLS****:. **

_Chapter 5 – Alone In the Dark _

**["Lianna's Theme" – **_**The Hobbit **_**Game OST]**

The night had become eerily silent save for the occasional hoot of an owl and the sound of cracking twigs as Mandie and Joe walked blindly into the darkness of the forest. An unsettling chill wound through the forest, causing the hairs on their arms to stand up straight and her arms crossed in an attempt to warm up her body. The temperature dropped to around 45 degrees; Joe had already shed his coat and draped it over Mandie's shoulders as they made their way deeper into the forest, using only Mandie's growing sense of direction. The two walked side by side, breathing out cold breaths of air; occasionally Mandie would catch her foot on the roof of a tree and Joe would have to grip her arm before she fell. After two hours of this Joe was fed up.

"Mandie, are you sure about this?" he asked, shivering slightly. Even he, a weathered boy grown up in the mountains had to admit it was chilly, especially in only a thin shirt and his trousers.

"Yes."

"What will your mother say when we get back? She'll tan my hide!" he exclaimed, already imagining the head-strong woman casting a disappointed glare at him when they returned. Joe was Mandie's closest friend and at the moment, her guardian.

"I'll explain everything. And once we find what I'm looking for, what will it matter? She should be happy that I'll be better, don't you think?" Mandie replied, keeping her head down so she could watch the ground for any obstacles or tree roots. "Snowball, come here!"

The kitten had wondered up ahead, but trotted back on Mandie's call.

"I just hope you know what you're doing..." Joe glanced around, unable to help but be unsettled by the eerie silence that blanketed the forest in a sort of dark calm. "My old man will be furious, that's for sure. I'll be doing extra chores for a year!"

"Maybe they'll just be glad we're back."

"Mandie, they're probably scared to death something happened to us. And Uncle Ned, what will he say? There's probably already search parties looking for us right now!"

"I didn't think about that," she admitted.

"And the gold, hopefully no one but the Cherokees and our families know about it. I keep thinking that someone's going to get to it before we do."

"I hope not! There's so many things I want the Cherokees to have with a hospital, whether Uncle Ned likes it or not!"

Joe snorted. "He'll grow to the idea, don't worry."

"You're right."

Joe shivered, cracking his knuckles to get more feeling into his hands.

"Gosh it's cold out here."

Mandie looked at him. "Take your coat back. I'll be all right."

He shook his head, refusing. "No, you keep it. I'll be fine. Besides, I'm tougher than you," he teased.

She scoffed. "We'll see about _that." _

Though she joked lightly, Mandie's head was reeling. Deep in the recesses of her brain she could _feel _the voices calling her, guiding her to her destination. They weren't as loud as they had been before on the cart, but since entering the forest, she could tell they were growing in volume, leading her on. She couldn't place her finger on it, but it felt as if the voices were a mix of male and female, mixed breaths speaking to her through an unknown connection. Joe was blindly following her direction, but she lead where her heart felt was right, and that was enough. Even in this forest she had a vague idea of where she was going, even if she had never been this deep into it. And if anything went wrong, Joe still had his survival knife and she had a pocketknife she had found in the camp. Joe had his knapsack around his waist and she had a small pocket filled with odds and ends. Joe also had a canteen strapped on his shoulder.

_We have food, too. And there are berries all 'round us. We'll be fine. _

That's what she told herself.

She just hoped her fantasies of a solution to her drowsiness weren't about to disappear, or they really would be lost.

Even so, Mandie couldn't help but begin to let every past shoot-the-breeze, nightmare, and scary story about being lost in a forest catch up to her now. Images of wolves with gaping jaws and bears with their raking claws flashed through her mind in a palette of red and black, scenes that lasted only seconds. Soon, every bush and rock seemed to be a candidate for hiding some feral creature. Shivers ran down Mandie's neck and she edged closer to Joe.

Even he had to admit the forest was creepy.

"I think we should stop for the night," he suddenly said just as she whipped her head around from the sudden image of a wolf crouching beneath the thicket. They had stopped in the middle of a small clearing, a huge set of boulders placed so that there was a little outcrop to sleep under.

Her eyes were wild and afraid. Joe knew exactly what was wrong.

"Never mind. We are stopping, like it or not."

She breathed out slowly, trying to think of happier thoughts. There was a rock with a flat top and she sat on it, huddling up in Joe's jacket. "That's probably a good idea. Do you still have flint and tinder?" she asked, holding Snowball close. There was no chance that she would let him wander off at this time of night in the middle of a dark forest.

"Of course," he replied, retrieving the said items. "I never leave home without them."

"I'll get branches to get it started," she offered, standing.

"No, I'll get it. You just stay warm and keep a lookout," he said, and that was that.

Mandie knew not to protest. Instead, she watched as Joe went off a few feet clear of their camp area. It gave her comfort that he was at least within hearing distance. She could hear his boots crunching against the covering of the forest floor as he made his rounds.

_Oh, I hope we find this place soon...I don't like this forest at all... _

Suddenly she heard a bout of cursing and a scuffle through the trees ahead of her. Mandie jumped to her feet, knocking Snowball to the ground, but she scooped him up again, holding him closer as she stepped forward and peered through the darkness, trying to adjust her eyes so she could see ahead.

"Joe…?" she called, voice low.

She didn't hear a response.

"Joe, please answer me!"

Snowball suddenly hissed as Mandie heard footsteps behind her. She spun around on her heels and screamed.

* * *

><p><strong>AUTHOR'S NOTE: <strong>Hope you enjoyed! Next chapter should be updated within a week or two, depending on if I have time or not. As I've said before, this fic is lower on my priority list, but I'm still going to finish it!

-**WriteFF13**


	7. Permanent Hiatus

**FROM THE AUTHOR: **As of now, _Mandie and the Forgotten Falls _has miraculously received 35 reviews over its more-than-a-year-old lifespan since I published it in late 2011. When I first began this fic, it was to help me break out of writer's block and I never intended it to go anywhere. Of course, I'm a sucker to reviewers and your guys' support inspired me to keep going. And after only a few chapters in, I realize that I can't meet the readers' expectations in terms of updating "frequently."

It's just not going to happen with my busy schedule. As I've clearly stated before, this fic is lowest on my priority list, and by trying to appease everyone I only end up slowing down my fanfiction updating to a crawl. So it's time to cut some ties. While I reasonably enjoyed writing this fic, I'm sorry to announce that _Mandie and the Forgotten Falls _is on a permanent hiatus. In other words – I won't be continuing it. Ever. I've spent far too much time on a fic that was supposed to only be a one-shot. Now, I simply don't have the time or motivation to finish, never mind even updating the next chapter!

If you were one of the readers that gave excellent reviews, I can't thank you enough. And I wish I could continue this story, but the truth is, I've grown bored of it and while the concept of the story is good, it just isn't my type of story. So, please don't ask me to continue this because I'm not. I've neglected other fanfiction stories _way _too long, so it's time to get back on track and attend to those.

To all readers and reviewers I apologize for this abrupt chapter update (the final update, mind you) and hope you also enjoyed this story while it lasted. Like most video game endings, I suppose the ending to this story can be left for your interpretation. Thank you millions for your wonderful reviews! Thank you, thank you, thank you:

**mary**, **Amy loves you**,** Daughter of the Full Moon**,** Naomi Baloney**,** Finnick and Lexi Odair**,** Jeaninelovesu**,** Guest**, **JJ**, **Guest**, **ShirleyTemple1932**, **Guest**, **Guest**, **Ilovemandie**, **Ilikemutemath**, **ILoveMandieBooks**, **Little Christian**, **chocolateaddict2000**, **Emily**, and **Sup-gal**

You guys were awesome and I feel like I don't deserve the reviews! Nonetheless, this is my final decision and I hope you can respect that! Take care and…

Write on,

**WriteFF13**

**.:END:.**


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